Thomas butler and adolph ligibel



(No Model.)

T. BUTLER & A. LIGIBEL.

GAR STARTER.

Patented Feb. 15,1887.

N PETERS. Pholc-Ufihcgnspber. Wunmgion. ac.

liNrTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS FUTLER AND ADOLPH LIGIBEL, OF JERSEY (ilITY, NEW JERSEY.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357.759, dated February 15, 1887.

Application filed July 8, 1886.

ToaZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THoMAs BUTLER and AnoLrH Lrcrnnnof Jersey City, inthe county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Starters, of which the following is a specification.

Our improvement relates to apparatus employed to assist in the starting of street-cars.

XVe will describe our improved car'starter in detail, and then point out the novel features in claims.

In thc accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section of a portion of a car, showing a carstarter embodying our improve I ment. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in section, of certain parts on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is another detail.

Similar letters of reference designate corre- I sponding parts in all the figures.

A designates the platform of a car.

13 designates the car-wheels mounted upon axles B B, journaled in suitable bearings. Upon the axle B is rigidly mounted a cylini der or drum, B". This drum is shown as made in sections, which may be secured together about the axle by bolts. The drum is also shown as provided with a circumferential groove. A band of metal, a, extends about the drum within the groove. To the ends of the band are secured blocks a a by rivets or otherwise. The block a has pivotally connected to it a lever, B, by means of'a pin, (6*. The block a has pivotally connected to it one of the ends of two links, a, by a pin, a", which links are in turn pivotally connected to the lever B at about the middle of the length of the links. The pin a" is the fulcrum of the lever B. A link, a, is p'ivotally connected near one end to the other ends of the links a", and near its other end is pivotally connected to two links, a, by means of a pin, a". The links a are in turn pivotally connected to the lever 13*, near the free end of the latter. Springs a connected to the pins a 0." outside the blocks a a tend to draw said blocks together and cause the band a to bind upon the drum. The band a, the lever 13*, the links a,

- The lever and the links a then act as a the link a, and the links constitute in effect a friction-clutch.

Serial No. 207,431. (No model.)

The free end of the lever 13* is provided, as shown, with an eye in which is secured, one end of a cord or chain, 0. This cord or chain after leaving the lever passes upwardly and overa pulley, 0, mounted in a pulley-block secured to the underside of the car. From thence it passes forward, and is secured to one end of a draw-bar, D, working through a suitable guide or guides, (Z, upon the under side of the platform and near the end thereof. A whiffie. tree may be secured to the outer end of the draw-bar. The draw'bar is approximately A-shapedin the crosssectiomas isshown more clearly in Fig. 4. By so constructing it mud or dirtfalling upon thedraw-bar will readily work off and the bar will be kept clear. It will be seen that when the strain of starting the car is brought to bear the draw-bar is drawn forward, causing the lever B*, through the medium of the cord or chain 0, to be moved upwardly. toggle to draw the band a more tightly about the drum, causing the drum, and consequently the car-wheels, to rotate, whereby the car will be moved.

E designates a trip secured to the under side of the car-platform. When the lever 13* has been moved upwardly sufficiently far, the link a will be brought in contact with the trip E at about the point of connection between the said link and the links (1?, whereby said links will be brought into approximate alignment, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. This will operate to more the links a in such manner that the drum may rotate freely with the axle.

In order to restore the lever B and its accompanying mechanism, together with the band a, to its normal position, or that shown more clearly in Fig. 1 andin full lines in Fig. 3,'I employ an arm, F, which is shown as bent in such manner as to extend for a distance aroundthe drum B and toward the adjacent end of the car. The pin a" passes through a hole in the arm F, near one end 0f the latter, thus securing the arm at such end between the links a. The other end of the arm F has connected to it one end of a cord or chain, G, which passes over a pulley, s, and thence to and is wound upon a pulley, H. The pulley H is loosely mounted upon the usual brake-Windlass, I. This pulley is provided upon its under side, near the periphery, with a tooth or step, e, which upon one side gradually vanishes into the surface of the pulley. It is also provided upon the under side with a recess, c,having therein a tooth or step, 6 The brake-windlass below the pulley is provided with a pin or projection,e",extending at about right angles to the axis of the windlass. 1

J designates a trip,here shown as a bar bent in such manner as to have a portion,j, extending beneath the pulley H. This trip is secured to the under side of the car-platform. \Vhen the lever B is being moved into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the arm F will be carried with it, and the pulley H will be rotated to admit of the unwinding of the cord or chain G. The step e on the pulley will at such time ride up onto the portion j of the trip J, and the pulley will thereby be moved upwardly in such manner that the step 6 will not engage the pin 0 on the brake-Windlass. I have shown the pulley in such position in Fig. 1. \Vhen the brakes are appl'iedin the ordinary way,the pin a will ride over the step e in such manner as not to impart movement to the pulley. NVhen, however, the windlass is being unwound to let ofi the brakes, the pin 6 will engage the step e, and the pulley H will then be rotated in such direction as to wind up the cord or chain G and cause the lever B and its accompanying mechanism to be drawn back to the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 3.

L designates a spring between and secured to portions of the cord or chain G. This spring permits the cord or chain to yield when the arm F is drawn upward to its fullest extent to provide for accidental turning of the brakewindlass too far in one direction.

0 designates a trip mounted on a rock-shaft, O, journaled, as here shown, in friction-tight bearings 0 upon the under side of the car-platform. The shaft 0 is provided with handles 0, by which the shaft may be rocked. The trip 0 has cam-surfaces 0 upon its under side, near the ends thereof, and, as here shown, is

composed of two portions, which extend parallel with each other. When the parts occupy the position shown in Fig. l and in full lines in Fig. 3, the trip 0 may, by rocking the rockshaft Obe moved into such position that certain of the cam-surfaces 0 thereon will bear upon the projecting ends of the pin a. This will cause the links a a to be moved into approximate alignment, whereby the band a will be loosened. The car may then be moved freely in either direction.

\Ve have shown our car-starting apparatus applied to only one of the axles of a car; but of course it may be applied to both, if desired.

\Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with an axle for carwheels, of a drum or cylinder rigidly secured thereon, a friction-clutch adapted to engage said drum or cylinder, a brake-Windlass, a connection between the'brake-windlass and the friction-clutch, a draw-bar, and a connection between the draw-bar and the frictionclutch, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with an axle for carwheels, of a drum or cylinder, B, rigidly mounted thereon, a friction-clutch, substantially such as described, the cord or chain 0, the draw-bar D, the trip E, the arm F, the cord or chain G, the bral e-windlass I, the pulley H, and the trip J, substantially as specified.

3. The draw-bar having an approximately /\-shaped cross-section, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with a car axle, of a drum or cylinder thereon, a friction-clutch substantially such as described, and a trip adapted to be moved into such a position that it will release the clutch to admit of the free rotation of the axle in either direction, substantially as specified.

THOMAS BUTLER. ADOLPH LIGIBEL.

\Vitnesses:

. Gno. \VADMAN,

Mxunrcn J. ROACI-L 

